<html><head><style type='text/css'>p { margin: 0; }</style></head><body><div style='font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: 12pt; color: #000000'>Thanks everyone. Your comments supported my initial thoughts. I received it from a math teacher who is totally engaged in technology and doesn't quite "get" the accessibility/useability of it. I especially liked Hadi's explanation --very clear!<br><br>Wink<br><br><br><hr id="zwchr"><b>From: </b>"Prof Norm Coombs" <norm.coombs@gmail.com><br><b>To: </b>"Access Technology Higher Education Network" <athen@athenpro.org><br><b>Sent: </b>Wednesday, March 30, 2011 6:41:40 PM<br><b>Subject: </b>Re: [Athen] Worpress/accessibility question<br><br>I agree with Hadi.<br><br>I find access keys a very poor solution to pages that are designed poorly <br>in the first place.<br><br>Granted, in my advancing age I have learned a ton of keys for windows, more <br>for a screen reader and more if I sometimes us a second screen <br>reader. Then more in Excel if I need it to read cell comments and other <br>features that the screen normally does not reveal automatically. Then PDF <br>readers have even more access keys.<br><br>When I go into a Web conference where the arrow or tab won't get me to <br>important items but they try to fix it with access keys, I just turn off my <br>brain. How many special key combinations can I remember and especially <br>when I have to remember which application I am using and which keys go for <br>it and not another........<br><br>To tell the truth, I wouldn't have tackled that much trivial memorization <br>when I was 40 years younger.<br><br>Call me lazy or maybe access keys are really a poor way to solve problems.<br>Norm<br>At 11:19 AM 3/30/2011, you wrote:<br>>Content-Language: en-US<br>>Content-Type: multipart/alternative;<br>> <br>>boundary="_000_E64D96424F4E554C841B19F26A9E288E048C6058AEDSMAILBOX2adu_"<br>><br>>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:vml" xmlns:o = <br>>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" xmlns:w = <br>>"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:word" xmlns:m = <br>>"http://schemas.microsoft.com/office/2004/12/omml"><br>>Hi Wink,<br>><br>>I responded to this topic earlier at one of our local mailing list. See <br>>below and hope it helps.<br>><br>>There are a few fact that we need to know about access keys:<br>>1. Access keys are useful as long as there are only a limited numbers of <br>>them and are used consistently across the domain.<br>>2. Access keys frequently overlap with OS, browser, and assistive <br>>technology shortcut keys. As long as the end-user can specify the access <br>>keys to desired functions in an application, then it makes sense but <br>>according to the article<br>><br>>"One of these Omeka plugins, called Access Keys, allows site <br>>administrators to specify<br>>access keys<br>> (or keyboard shortcuts) for navigating around Omeka. People who are <br>> blind do not navigate Web sites through a graphical user interface; they <br>> usually rely<br>>exclusively on their keyboard. Access keys are time-saving shortcuts that <br>>allow them to navigate quickly and easily. For instance, an administrator could<br>>specify that the access key "s" would be reserved for loading the "Search" <br>>page, the "h" key could be reserved for the "Home" page, the "a" key for the<br>>"About" page, and so on."<br>><br>>the administrator assigns the access keys. And this is the problem. how <br>>the admin knows what access keys doesn't interfere with my <br>>OS/browser/assistive technology shortcut keys.<br>>This is similar to that an admin choose the best color setting for the <br>>users. I believe we all do have our color preferences and administrators <br>>should not impose their color preferences to the end users.<br>>The optimal option is to provide the mechanism that end-user specifies <br>>his/her access keys within a domain depending on his/her OS/browser/AT <br>>settings.<br>><br>>I personally think access keys cause more problems for AT users than <br>>helping them. We really don't need to invest too much energy into access <br>>keys solution. An application with logical heading structures/landmarks <br>>doesn't need access keys very much. They are helpful if we are dealing <br>>with pages/forms that we access repetitively.<br>><br>>Thanks,<br>>Hadi<br>><br>><br>><br>>----------<br>>From: athen-bounces@athenpro.org [mailto:athen-bounces@athenpro.org] On <br>>Behalf Of Wink Harner<br>>Sent: Wednesday, March 30, 2011 12:29 PM<br>>To: DSSHE-L@LISTSERV.BUFFALO.EDU; 'Access Technology Higher Education Network'<br>>Subject: [Athen] Worpress/accessibility question<br>><br>>Hi all,<br>><br>><br>><br>>Forgive cross-posting.<br>><br>><br>><br>>Received this from a colleague today and am curious as to your collective <br>>(wise!) thoughts about Wordpress and accessibility for Blind users.<br>><br>><br>><br>>Here is the link to the higher ed article about a plugin for wordpress to <br>>help blind people.<br>><br>><http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/access-keys-a-wordpress-plugin-to-improve-accessibility/32181?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en>http://chronicle.com/blogs/profhacker/access-keys-a-wordpress-plugin-to-improve-accessibility/32181?sid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en<br>><br>><br>><br>>Your input, as always, is welcome.<br>><br>><br>><br>>Wink<br>><br>><br>>_______________________________________________<br>>Athen mailing list<br>>Athen@athenpro.org<br>>http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org<br><br> . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .<br>Once you choose hope, anything's possible. Christopher Reeve<br>Norman Coombs norm.coombs@gmail.com<br><br>Making Online Teaching Accessible: Inclusive Course Design for Students <br>with Disabilities by Norman Coombs published by Jossey-Bass Oct 10,2010<br>http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470499044.html<br><br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Athen mailing list<br>Athen@athenpro.org<br>http://athenpro.org/mailman/listinfo/athen_athenpro.org<br><span><br><br>-- <br><span name="x"></span>Ms. Wink Harner<br>Manager<br>Disability Resources & Services<br>Mesa Community College<br>1833 W. Southern Avenue<br>Mesa AZ 85201<br><br>480-461-7447<br>winkharner@mesacc.edu<span name="x"></span><br></span><input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden"><div id="refHTML"></div></div></body></html>